Why Trump’s Con Can’t Last Forever

Trump has shown himself a master at populist stunts, but it won’t be long before working people catch on to his game.

January 24, 2017

US President Donald Trump arrives on the West Front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2017. (Reuters / Win McNamee)

From the start of his short, truculent and unabashedly populist inaugural address, President Trump called out the Washington establishment: “For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left, and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.”